


I'm with You

by moviegeek03



Series: I'm With You (TK Meets the Reyes Family) [1]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Car Accidents, Hurt TK Strand, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Meet the Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:21:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26518921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moviegeek03/pseuds/moviegeek03
Summary: TK was as ready as he could be to meet Carlos's family. He had prepared for it. He had even remembered to bring everything he needed with him to work that morning. Because he couldn't be late. He had to make a good impression. Too bad the weather, work, and a car precariously perched on a muddy hillside all have other plans for him. Oh...and the concussion...yeah this will not be the perfect "meet the parents" he had hoped for.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: I'm With You (TK Meets the Reyes Family) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2012509
Comments: 121
Kudos: 588





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have seen a few stories and thoughts on Carlos's family and TK meeting said family. I have loved what people have come up with, but wanted to play with a (hopefully) different take. Thanks for everyone who has welcomed me into this fandom and has continued to read my little stories! This one should be a few chapters long.

His hands were sweaty. His mind was already buzzing. His body felt jittery and shaking. He was anxious. And he still has hours worth of work ahead of him before he would face the cause. The same cause that has been building for weeks on end…

“So today’s the big day, huh?” Paul teased, walking into the gym.

TK sighed and gave up trying to lift the weights. It was a lost cause today. He couldn’t focus on anything much. He’d done fine on calls earlier. But downtime was another story.

“Big day for what?” Judd questioned as he joined them. He took up residence on a nearby bench.

“TK is meeting Carlos’s parents tonight,” Paul supplied with a smirk, causing TK’s face to redden.

“No shit?” Judd replied, his own smirk plastered on his face.

“Yeah,” TK sighed. “Carlos’s birthday is this weekend. His mom is supposed to cook at his place tonight, and he wants me to come over to meet her and his dad after I get off.” He ran a hand through his hair nervously. “I said I would.”

“That’s a big step,” Marjan called, seemingly out of nowhere. TK hadn’t seen her come into the room.

“Thanks. Thanks for that.” TK slumped down onto the weight bench, giving up on his workout as everyone seemed more interested in teasing him and questioning his plans.

“She’s right,” Judd laughed. “But I wouldn’t worry too much. Reyes likes you. And that will trump anything the parents think. Trust me.”

“Speaking from experience?” Marjan laughed. She leaned against the nearby weight machine.

“Oh definitely,” Judd huffed. “Grace’s dad hated me the second he laid eyes on me. But eventually came around.” He stepped over toward TK and clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ll be good, kid.”

TK just shook his head. “I hope.”

“Not a fan of parents?” Paul continued, ever eager to find out more information and push.

TK rubbed at his face, feeling the tell tale signs of a headache coming on at this line of questioning. “I didn’t say that.” He chewed on his lip anxiously. “Just…parents don’t usually like me.”

Marjan walked over and pinched his cheeks playfully. “What’s not to like about this face?”

“Funny,” he huffed, batting her hands away. “But…parents don’t usually like addicts dating their sons.” He leveled her with a meaningful gaze before staring at the floor. He didn’t bring up his recovery all that often with the crew, not since the day of the solar flares really. Just pieces every now and then. Like this. Just enough to hint at his anxiety and process, but not always the full story.

“Hey,” Judd squeezed his shoulder. TK didn’t even realize he was still standing so close to him. “Don’t say that.”

“Judd’s right,” Paul continued. “You are more than that. Carlos knows that too.”

“But will his parents?”

“Yes,” Marjan adamantly said. “Because it’s true.” She punched his shoulder playfully and gave him a soft smile. “And Carlos adores you. Don’t even give me that look.”

He shook his head at her. “I—“

“Listen to her,” Paul interrupted.

“Can’t be worse than Grace’s dad,” Judd added. “I had to build a pool deck before he liked him.”

TK laughed at that, feeling some of the tension leave his body.

“Not shocked,” Paul laughed. Judd threw a towel at his head for the comments.

“Just not met a lot of parents,” Tk shrugged. “Alex…he didn’t really want me around his folks. So never really met them.”

“Well, we know Alex was problematic,” Marjan couldn’t help but add.

“Maybe.”

“Definitely,” Paul continued. “No offense.”

TK just nodded. Not sure how to respond. “Um, I met few in high school I guess, but not sure that counts. And, well, after…I wasn’t in a place to really care or try for that.” He didn’t elaborate, hoping they would understand. The years between high school graduation and entering the fire academy hadn’t been his finest.

“You’ve come a long way since then,” Judd said, more serious than before. “Stop beating yourself up. Reyes cares about you. I’m sure he has talked you up to his folks. Don’t worry about it.”

TK nodded. He appreciated the confidence from Judd, but couldn’t buy into it. He was actually worried more about Carlos talking him up. Carlos, well, he really cared about him. Which was amazing. But also scary. Especially with this. Carlos didn’t see his faults as well, as faulty as they were. He was biased. TK didn’t think he could live up to whatever version he had described to his mom and dad. It just wasn’t possible. He was scared of letting everyone down.

“I don’t—“

The alarm started blaring throughout the house, stopping TK from finishing his thought. He groaned instead. He had hoped they wouldn’t get called out again, given that he needed to be at Carlos’s in just a few hours. He really didn’t want to be late…

“Come on, TK,” Judd nudged him. “Sooner we go the sooner we can help you get ready for your boy later.”

“Did you bring your clothes here? Please tell me you brought more than one shirt so we can help?” Marjan smirked.

“What’s wrong with my shirts?” he replied as they ran off toward their gear. They grabbed their thicker coats and rain gear. It had been pouring outside for the past few hours.

“Nothing,” Owen stated, ruffling his hair as he came over to suit up himself. “You get your style from your old man.” He winked and squeezed TK’s shoulder.

“But we have to make sure he looks parent appropriate for later,” Paul teased.

“Ooh, that’s right.” Owen nudged them all toward the truck. “Big night tonight with Carlos.”

“Yeah.” TK hopped up into the truck. Everyone else followed suit and they were soon on the road. “So what’ve we got?” He really wanted the attention of of him and his plans for the night.

“Looks like a car went off the road and is hanging on the side of a hill,” Owen supplied.

“Probably hydroplaned with all this damn rain,” Judd added. “How many in vehicle?”

“Three,” Owen continued. “Couple up front and a kid in the back. Woman called it in. All conscious last we heard. Panicking and banged up but conscious.”

“That’s good at least,” Mateo added nervously

They arrived on the scene quickly. Michelle’s team was already there, hanging back and waiting on Owen to take command. Owen hopped out of the truck and started talking to the police officers already on the scene. TK followed Judd and Paul out, grabbing gear and getting things set up. Marjan started gathering up repelling gear.

“Want to make the news again?” He poked at her.

“Always.” She gave him a wide smile.

“What about me?” Mateo added, frowning slightly.

“You made the news,” Paul quipped back.

“For passing out water bottles I might add,” Judd sighed.

Owen rolled his eyes at the crew as he overhead and joined them. “Okay, looks like the car is pretty unstable. It’s not down too far off the side of the hill, but enough. The family tried to get out, but it started to move on them. Marjan, Paul…I want you two to repel down. Secure the car as best you can. Your job is to focus on getting the parents out up front. I think you may need to pull both out through the driver’s side. TK, I want you hooked up too. I think you can go around the side and get to the kid. She’s in the passenger side back seat from what the mom called in. She’s secured in a booster seat that you may need to cut.”

“How old?” he asked.

“Seven or eight I think,” Owen continued. “She’s not hurt from what mom and dad could tell, just really scared. You’re good with kids so I want you to help keep her calm while we get mom and dad out. From the way the car looks, I’m more worried about it moving and propelling forward on them, given the angle, and crushing them. Kid’s pretty secure in her booster seat, but I didn’t want her bouncing or trying to move and jarring the car.”

“Got it, Cap.” TK followed Marjan and got himself hooked up to gear to repel down the hillside.

“Judd, Mateo, the three of us are going to stay topside and work the wench and send down the baskets if and when we need to. Mom and dad seem okay but we have to see for sure. We’ll hand them off to Michelle’s crew one way or the other for her to check them out.”

“Got it!”

“Sure thing, Cap.”

Owen gave everyone a nod and set to finalizing the plan and securing all the proper equipment. “TK?”

“Yeah?” He turned toward his dad, synching up his harness.

“Be careful. You’ll be hanging off the side of the hill the farthest by the time you get over to side of the car. The back half of the car is more stable but is on a ledge a little further out. Front doesn’t have a lot of ground under it and I’m worried about that mud slipping on you.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Owen hit TK’s helmet and nudged him forward. He joined Marjan and Paul so that he could connect to the wench. The other two repelled down first to assess the damage. TK followed slowly behind to give them space and not crowd the car, uncertain of how stable it would be. He could hear Paul start a conversation with the parents up front.

“What’s your name ma’am?”

“Ma-Maya,” she said. “Can you please help my daughter?”

“We’re going to help all three of you,” Marjan added. “What’s your name sir?”

“I”m Dave,” he replied. “But please, just get Emma out from the back.”

The little girl looked up with scared eyes. It was obvious she had been crying, but overall looked unharmed. Her parents were sporting cuts and bruises on the other hand.

“We’re going to work on it, don’t worry,” Paul continued. “My friend, TK, is right behind me and he’s going to come around and help her. But for right now, we want to get you two out. We’re worried about the weight pulling the front forward. We want to get you two out first while he cuts the booster seat.”

“But—“

“We promise this is the best thing we can do,” Marjan interrupted. “We’re afraid of taking away too much weight from the back.”

“So we’re going to send our boy back here over to add some to it.” Paul gave the daughter a small smile. “He’s muscular. He’ll add some weight to you back there. Just don’t tell him I called him that.”

TK joined them and pushed off the side of the hill so that he could swing down to the car. He was careful to not jostle the vehicle too much, not knowing how stable it would remain. “I heard that, Paul.” He gave the girl a wink. “I think I can do that for you guys though.” The back door’s window was already busted from the crash. “Hello there.” He gave her his best smile and kept his face calm. He could see how precarious the car was, but he couldn’t let her know that.

“Hi,” she replied quietly.

“I’m TK. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Emma.” Her voice wasn’t much louder than a whisper. She hugged her stuffed animal tight to her chest and gave him scared look.

“And who is this?” He nodded toward her toy. He gently started to work on getting the back door on the driver’s side to open. Paul, who was freeing their mom’s door hit the unlock to see if it still worked for him. Thankfully, it did. TK carefully pulled the door open and slipped into the backseat beside her.

“Olaf.” She hugged the animal, which TK could now see was a stuffed bear wearing an Olaf _Frozen_ t-shirt. It was likely from Build-a-Bear if he had to guess. “My uncle gave him to me. We were on our way to see him.” Tears filled her eyes again.

“Fan of _Frozen_?” She nodded. “Do you like the first one or the second more?”

“First.” Her voice had more confidence to it for a moment. He couldn’t help but smile at her. “But I like both.”

“Me too! I bet your uncle will let you watch it this weekend.” He slid forward toward her. The car jostled as Paul pulled Maya out and toward him. Marjan made quick work of taking up the space Maya just vacated to stabilize the weight. “What’s your favorite song from it?”

“I like ‘Let it Go’ and ‘Into the Unknown.’”

“Solid choices. I think I like ‘Lost in the Woods’ personally. But I think I just really like Kristoff.”

“He’s pretty,” she said quietly, earning a wet laugh from her dad. Marjan squeezed his hand.

“I have to agree,” TK added. “Okay, Emma, I’m going to pull on the straps around you and start cutting. I need you to stay still. Can you do that for me?” He waited on her to nod. “Good girl. I’ll be fast. “So you like Kristoff?”

She nodded again.

“Do you have a prince of your own yet?”

“No…I’m too young.”

“Are you now?” TK made a face, earning a small smile from her, as he started to cut some of the straps around her. Marjan had began to pull Dave over the console and out of the car. “Well…maybe one day.”

“Do you? Have a prince?”

TK blushed as Marjan let out a loud laugh from the front. “He does,” she replied for him. “He has a prince charming waiting for him tonight.” She never looked up from where she worked on the dad. The dad couldn’t help but laugh as well.

“Okay, Emma, I’m going to move a little closer and pull you over to me while my friend up there helps your dad out. Can you stay really still for me?” He waited for her to nod. “Awesome. Just let me do the work.”

He gave a nod to Marjan and grabbed onto Emma’s booster seat to stabilize and pull her closer. He realized that there was another strap still in place as she started and began to fix it. Marjan pulled Dave out and over to the awaiting basket to pull him up. Once she was out…well things kind of went to hell…

TK heard the car groan. He felt it shift. All the signs were pointing to disaster…

It happened quickly. He threw himself around Emma’s booster seat and pulled her close to him. The strap gave way from the main seat but she stayed strapped to the booster at least. The car shifted once more and slipped off its precarious place on the hillside. The car door that had been opened for TK earlier slammed shut, trapping his wire. The car started over the edge and began to fall. TK was pulled forcefully against the door before his wire snapped. He kept Emma secure against his chest as his entire right side slammed into the close door of the car. Everything felt fuzzy.

But he held onto the little girl as she screamed out in fear. He wasn’t sure how but he kept it together…but he kept her safe in his arms.

The car rolled. He held tight.

Then everything went black…

xxxxxxx

“What time does your boyfriend get off work?”

Carlos looked up from his place at the table. His mom was moving about the kitchen, prepping dinner and getting things together. She had agreed to make his favorite dish. She was also preparing enough food for a small army from what he could tell.

“TK should be getting off soon, but I’ll shoot him a text to double check,” he replied.

“TK?” his dad laughed. “What kind of name is that?"

Carlos rolled his eyes. “He doesn’t like his real name, papi.”

“Which is?”

“Diego,” his mother chastised, “leave the poor boy alone. If Carlos says he doesn’t like his real name, then let it go.”

“I did not say I would drill the boy, Elena. I just don’t understand what kind of name ‘TK’ is.”

Carlos shook his head at his parents as they continued to bicker. He shot a text to TK and waited for him to respond. He usually was quick, shooting off a reply or letting him know if he was still on a call. Carlos kept waiting for the text to switch over to ‘read’ but it never did.

He just hoped his boyfriend wouldn’t be late.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...thank you all for the incredible response 💜. It really made a not so easy week a little more bearable. Thank you again! I hope this next chapter doesn't disappoint. Should have another chapter or two left for what I have in mind.

Things were dark. And cold. He was wet. And he was definitely in pain. He shifted, groaning as the motion hurt all the more. He felt something sticky around his helmet. And a weight against his chest…

“TK?” A quiet voice hesitantly asked.

He bit his lip to not curse and he moved. The little girl was still wrapped in his arms. He sighed in relief. “I”m here.” He lifted her up so he could see her better. “I’m okay, Emma.” He wasn’t sure how true the last statement really was. He was hurt. He knew that much. He couldn’t tell how badly yet, but he could breathe. His chest ached, so did his head. His back. And his wrist…well he nearly dropped the child when he lifted her up. There was definitely a fracture or something going on there. “Did I hurt you?”

She shook her head ‘no' in response. He shifted so that she was sitting in the seat in front of him. The car was dark. And it looked like they were surrounded by something. He flicked on a flashlight on his helmet. It blinked but lit up after a moment. Glass littered the backseat and mud, a lot of mud. He turned away from Emma for a second and could see mud everywhere.

The hill…the rain…

_Mudslide….great…just what we needed._

“Shit,” he mumbled under his breath.

“TK?” Emma tugged on his hand a little. He bit his lip as she did so. Yeah, wrist definitely had at least a little fracture to it. His shoulder blade ached more with her jostling his arm too. Things were not looking good.

“I’m okay, sweetheart,” he replied, masking the pain with a smile and all the bravado he could muser. He didn’t want to worry her. She had been through enough as it was. “It’s okay.” The girl looked scared and was holding onto her bear tightly. “Can I check you over? Make sure you are okay?”

She nodded assent. TK ran his hand over her to assess for any injuries. She had a few bruises on her arms, no doubt from him holding her so tight. “I’m sorry,” he apologized as he ran his hand over them.

“I’m okay,” she assured, bringing a genuine smile to his face. “You’re bleeding.” Her eyes were focused on the side of his head.

He reached up and felt the sticky liquid. “Yeah, but I’m okay. My helmet protected me. I’ll be alright.” He started to look around the car again. “I just need to find a way out of here for us.” The mud had pushed the car down the side of the hill until it looked like they had ran into a line of trees. There were a few branches sticking through the busted windows around them. And mud. So much mud.

The front windshield was cracked, but still fairly intact. There was less mud and gunk covering it. TK’s radio blared static on him. He clicked it, trying to get a signal, but it wasn’t working properly. Not enough to understand anything from topside or to get messages from the others. He’d probably damaged it in the fall. He assumed the crew would be trying to repel down to them, but he wasn’t sure how visible the car was with all the mud and debris surround them. He couldn’t tell from inside the car.

“Okay, Emma, here’s what we’re going to do, sweetie. I want you and Olaf to stay right here for me. I’m going to see if I can find a way out for us.” She looked around at the doors with watery eyes. “Hey, I promise, I’ve got this. I have an idea.” He ran a hand over her head to try to provide some comfort. “I’m going to get us out of this.”

He gave her shoulder one final squeeze and pushed her to stay in the seat. He moved around the cramped quarters of the car, surpassing groans as he did so. His ribs were definitely, at the very least, bruised from impact earlier. But he had to get them out of this.

_I promised…_

He managed to get up to the front of the wrecked car. He pushed experimentally against the windshield. It gave a little under his hand, but was still holding fairly strong. He sighed. He steading himself against the passengers seat and got his legs up on the dash. He knew it would hurt, but he braced himself with his arms and pushed his legs and weight forward. The windshield cracked further. He wanted to scream. It was still not enough. He tried again, the glass finally gave way.

He slumped against the seat, trying to steady his breathing.

_That hurt…_

“TK?” a scared voice called from behind.

“I think I got us a way out.” He pushed himself up and tried to send her reassuring smile. He knew he had to look a little worse for wear but she brightened nonetheless. “Let’s get you up here with me.” He shifted and pulled her forward. “Here’s what we’re going to do, sweetheart. I want you to climb into my jacket. It’ll protect you. I’ll zip you in, okay?” She nodded. “And I want you to wrap your hands around my neck and legs around my waist. Think you can do that?”

“I can.” She looked down at her bear. “Olaf too?”

“Olaf too,” TK laughed at her request. “How about we zip up Olaf in your jacket? He can be just like you. How does that sound?” She nodded enthusiastically and let him fix the bear into her jacket. She then climbed into his lap and allowed him to do the same to her. He made sure she was as secure as possible, not knowing if her little legs and arms could hold tight. He didn’t want to take any chances. He really wanted to get he back up to her parents. He used his gloved hands to push away some of the broken parts of the windshield out of their way.

“Glass?”

“Yeah, there’s some glass up here. But I’ve got you.” He wasn’t sure which of them he was trying to convince. “Just hold onto me tight.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and thing hitched her legs around his waist. That motion jarred his ribcage and stole his breath. But he held tight onto her. He could do this. He didn’t have a choice. He had to get her out.

He checked that she was secure one last time before he started to climb up and over the dashboard of the car. He felt the remnants of the windshield scratch and nick at the side of his face as he did so, but he kept moving. He stepped out into the pouring rain, nearly losing his footing on the slippery surface of the car’s hood. There was mud and water everywhere. Yet he stayed as steady as possible for the child in his arms. It wasn’t easy, and he wasn’t sure how they both didn’t fall to the ground, but he managed. He jumped down, hugging the girl tighter to him.

“I’m sorry, but looks like we’re going to get wet,” he sighed to her. He kept her close and zipped in his jacket. “Just stay right where you are sweetheart. I’m going to dig around my pockets to see what I can do to signal up top. But you’re good. You’re being so good and brave.” He heard her sniffle against his chest and felt a soft nod. “We’ve got this. Okay? Pretty soon you’ll be warm and with your uncle.” He tried to use his radio one more time, but not luck. It was well and truly busted. He kept digging around in his pockets, looking for flares and his phone. “Tell me Emma, what do you have planned with your uncle this weekend? Besides a movie binge? I bet he will let you watch _Frozen_ as many times as you want.”

“Both movies? You think he will?”

TK huffed out a laugh. “Oh I think so.” He pulled out a flare and moved it to a different pocket, trying to keep it as dry as possible for the time being.

“That would be awesome.”

“I bet.” TK’s fingers finally found his phone. He pulled it up and groaned at the cracked screen. He hit the home button. The screen lit up. He could see missed texts.

_All from Carlos._

_Shit._

_His birthday dinner._

_With his parents._

_Fuck…_

The screen was too cracked to get any texts out or call up to his dad. Or reply to Carlos’s worried texts. TK cursed his luck and the whole damn situation. Of course all this had to happen today. The one day he needed things to be smooth. To be able to make a good first impression.

“TK? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” He pocketed the phone with a sigh. “My phone’s just busted.”

“How are we going to call for help?” Her voice was shaky as she spoke.

“I’ve got a few other tricks up my sleeves.” He had put the bravado back on. He could fake it. He could do this. He had to for her. “But first, we’ve going to move a little over. That way we aren’t so close to the car and the worst of the mud.” He could see things shifting around them from the pressure of the mud. He was worried about what could happen if they stayed too close to the car.

He started walking. It wasn’t an easy task. His feet sunk and slipped every couple steps. He even fell to his knees at one point. But he made it far enough away that he could find solid ground and footing to wait for help. After that short walk, he knew there was no way he could make it back up the hillside. Not without proper gear. HIs harness was still intact, but the wire wasn’t even a foot long at this point. It had snapped and broken under the force of the fall.

“Emma, can you duck down a little and into my chest for me? I’m going to use a flare to notify the others of where we are.” _I hope at least_. “It will spark and smoke a lot. I’m sorry.” She nodded and burrowed into him. He waited til he was sure she was as safe as possible and lit the flare. He shifted it to his bad hand and held it up above his head. The motion shot pain up his wrist and into his shoulder blades. But he needed his good hand to protect Emma, to make sure she stayed down in his coat.

He waved the flare above his head despite how it hurt, trying to get a signal up to the others. He knew his crew. They wouldn’t have left. Not without him or the girl. Not yet. He just hoped they could see the light with all the rain and mud. He had to hope.

“Doing okay down there, Emma?” She nodded against his chest. “Good. You’re doing amazing, kiddo. How about Olaf? You keeping him safe too?” He felt another nod. “You are being so brave. Olaf is really lucky to have you.” He shifted her weight and hitched her higher up his body. The motion jarred his sore ribs. “We’ll be out of here soon. Don’t worry.” His voice was breathy and pained, but he hoped she wouldn’t pick up on that.

He stayed there giving her soft assurances as best he could. He had no idea how long it had been. The flare died and he dug out a second, repeating the actions once more. He silently vowed to give his team another try before he found a backup plan.

Whatever that could be.

He didn’t think he could make it up the side of the hill without help. Not with how his body was feeling. Definitely not with the added weight of the girl in his arms. He was already shaky. His legs were ready to give out from under him as it was. He didn’t know what he could do.

“TK?!?”

“Thank god,” he breathed out. He felt himself sag in relief, falling to his knees again. “Over here!” His voice was more hoarse than he realized. He must have been talking to Emma more than he thought.

Judd suddenly came into view. “I got him, Cap!” TK couldn’t tell if he was speaking to his dad I person or just the radio. Regardless, Judd made his way over to TK and knelt down with him. “You with me brother?”

“Yeah, I’m here.” TK let his head fall forward onto Judd’s shoulder for a second as he took deep breath.

Judd’s hands started to pat him down, earning a scared yelp from Emma.

“Easy, cowboy.” TK pulled his head up and with shaking hands unzipped his jacket just enough for the girl to be visible. Emma poked her head out cautiously. “You’re okay, Emma. This is just my friend Judd. He’s going to help us.”

She nodded and held on tighter to TK. He bit his lip as the action hurt his ribs. Judd noticed. He leaned in close to TK so the little girl couldn’t hear their conversation.

“”How bad are you hurt?”

“I’ve had worse.”

“TK,” Judd warned.

“My ribs and shoulders are at least bruised. I got a cut somewhere under my helmet. Maybe concussion. Not sure. Wrist may be fractured. I’m breathing okay. Hurts, but doesn’t feel like lungs got punctured.” He shifted to keep Emma against his chest, wincing.

“How about your girl here?” Judd asked a little louder. “How are we doing, sweetheart? I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Emma,” TK urged as the girl stayed quiet against him. “Can you let Judd know how are you doing? He’s here to help get us out of this. Somehow.” The last word was aimed at Judd.

“The gang’s comin’. Michelle’s holdin’ your dad back up top to keep the parents calm but the rest should be here in a second to get you back topside. And to get this one back to her parents. How does that sound? Ready for mom and dad?”

The girl perked up a little at the mention of her parents. She nodded fiercely at that. “I’m okay.”

TK smiled at her. “I think I bruised her arms during the fall. I grabbed her when the car started slipping. I probably grabbed on too tight.”

“I’m okay,” she assured.

“Yeah, looks like our boy here kept you safe, huh?” Judd winked at TK. “Can you let me take you now?” Judd started to pull her away from TK, but she panicked and held on tighter.

“I’ve got her Judd. It’s fine.” TK hugged the girl. “She’s just scared.”

Judd nodded and squeezed TK’s shoulder. Paul and Majran soon joined the scene, both sighing in relief as they saw TK next to Judd.

“I think you gave Cap a few more grey hairs,” Paul quipped.

TK shrugged. “I don’t think this one could have been helped.”

“No,” Marjan added.

“You did good, kid,” Judd assured. “Let us take over for now.”

“And Emma?” Paul cautiously asked.

“She’s right here. Just keeping her warm in my jacket.” TK shifted, groaning as he did so, to allow Paul a look at her. “She’s a little bruised but nothing major that I can tell.”

“We’ll get you both up and to Michelle in just a minute,” Marjan continued. She came closer and pulled on his wire. “Wow, that didn’t last.”

“Nah, got stuck in the car door. It slammed shut and pulled me against it in the fall.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah…not the best feeling in the world, but I’m okay,” he continued. “Just ready to be out of here.”

“We’ve got you covered.” Paul and Judd approached with clips and wires. “Do you need a basket?”

“No…I think I can make it up if I’m just attached to the wire. Or one of you guys.”

“TK, I don’t think you’re making it up the hill on your own. We’ll connect you,” Judd sternly replied. “But I want you connected to me too and I’ll help you up.”

“O-Okay. I’ll keep Emma.”

“Are you sure?” Paul gave him a skeptical look.

“I don’t think she’ll go with anyone else without panicking too much.” He softened his voice so Emma couldn’t hear. “And her panicking against my ribs kind of hurts like hell. So I think I’d rather just avoid that part. She should stay with me.”

“I can help you both,” Judd added throwing up his hands. “We’ll make it work.” His radio went off with Owen’s voice. TK couldn’t make out the specifics. Just the voice. “Yeah, Cap. On our way up. Hooking up TK and the kid now. Both okay. Little banged up and he’ll need a trip to the ER, but okay. Let the parents know the girl is fine. She has some bruises but doesn’t seem too serious.”

Owen replied, but TK was finding it harder to focus on much outside of holding onto Emma. He could tell he was zoning out more than he wanted. Hell, more than he needed to really. He shook his head a little and tried to stay as present as possible. Marjan hooked him up to the wires and harnesses once again. He nodded, reassuring her he was good to go.

Before he could give it a second thought, he stood up with Paul’s help and got himself prepared for what was to come. It was going to hurt.

This night definitely hadn’t turned out as he had planned. And it wasn’t going to get any easier. Between the trek back up the hill, and everything with Carlos…

Things were more fucked than TK had ever dreamt. He just hoped he could get through it. And that Carlos’s parents wouldn’t be too upset. He really didn’t want to fuck this up. Not with Carlos.

xxxxx

Carlos looked up from his phone to see his mom pull out the chicken from the oven. She gave him a sad smile. He turned away to check his phone again. Still no replies. Still on read…

“Mijo?” His father squeezed his shoulder.

“Sorry? What were you saying?” He didn’t realize he had zoned out on his father.

Diego gave him another look. “I said your mother almost has dinner ready. Do you think maybe we should eat or do you want to give your boyfriend a little longer?”

Carlos ran a hand through his hair. “I swear he’s normally not late like this. Not without calling ahead to warn me. I—“

“We’ll give him a few more minutes,” Elena interrupted. She walked over and gave Carlos a kiss on the side of his head. “We’re fine, mjio. Right Diego?” She glared at her husband for suggesting they eat without TK. Carlos appreciated the gesture, but wasn’t sure what to do for now.

He was getting worried. This wasn’t like his boyfriend. At all…


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for the continued support 💜. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I think there should be one more left before it is wrapped up.

Things passed by in a blur. TK felt the pull of the straps as they dug into his ribs. It normally wouldn’t hurt, but given the bruised nature to them right now….everything hurt more than normal. His shoulder ached. His wrist throbbed. His headache had doubled over the last couple minutes. But he had to deal. He kept the little girl in his arms as they slowly but surely made their way up the hillside.

“Still with us, kid?” Judd questioned beside him. TK was secured to his line, just in case.

“Y-yeah.” He tried to give Judd a reassuring smile, but it turned into a wince as the harness moved into his ribs again. “M-mostly.” He let out a pained breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.

“Almost there, TK,” Judd assured. “Pretty soon we’ll have you topside and Michelle can get you to the ER.”

“I don’t need—“

“The hell you don’t.” Judd gave him a look. “Don’t even think you are getting out of a hospital trip. You and I both know that’s not happening.” TK sagged. He just wanted to get to Carlos’s, as unrealistic as the thought was. “Your boy will understand,” Judd continued.

“But will his parents?” TK didn’t mean to voice that fear. But he was tired, cold, and hurting. More than he wanted to admit really.

“None of this is your fault, kid. You couldn’t have stopped a mudslide. Last I checked. You’re good, but no one can stop an act of god.”

TK pouted. “Yeah. Think I’ve had enough of those for awhile.”

Judd huffed a laugh and pulled TK closer. He must have noticed how limp TK was becoming. “You and me too, brother.” He hitched TK closer. “How’s our brave girl doing?”

Emma remained quiet against TK’s chest, but she stirred at her name. “I think she’s hanging in there,” TK answered. “I’ve still got a grip on her. And she is wrapped around me. She’s hanging in there.”

“Just checking.” Judd squeezed TK’s shoulder with one hand and used the other to tug on the wire again. “Let’s see if your old man can’t hurry things along up there for you.”

“I’m okay, Judd. Really.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” Judd shifted and gripped his radio. “Hey Cap? Think we can speed things up? We’re okay down here, but think your kid is ready to be topside. And for medical.”

“I’m fine,” TK tried to call out but wasn’t sure if the message would be relayed. He really hated the idea of worrying his dad, but figured it was a lost cause at this point. Regardless of his protests, the crew started to pull harder and get them up quicker. The jarring motion started to make him feel dizzy. He closed his eyes. Just for a moment.

“TK?”

He opened them to see the edge of the hillside. To see his dad pulling them up the last bit. He could hear crying off to the side and a loud sob as they were pulled over. His dad grabbed him, pulling him in for a hug. He twisted slightly so that his shoulder took the brunt of the hug. “Hey, easy,” TK managed to say before his dad crushed him to his chest. “Let’s not crush her.” With shaking hands he undid a few buttons on his jacket to reveal Emma.

“Well, hello there,” Owen greeted. He kept a tight grip on TK, all but holding him up. “I think I know some people who are going to be very happy to see you, sweetheart.” Owen motioned for Michelle to come closer.

TK felt Michelle’s hand on his shoulder. Her touch was light, but he could still feel the bruises there. “Hey, who do we have here?”

“Emma?” TK prodded. “Can you go with my friend Michelle?”

She tightened her grip on him, obviously still afraid. He shushed her and ran a hand over her back. Michelle must have noticed her fear, because before TK could even track what was happening, Emma’s mom Maya was at his side.

“Em? Baby?”

TK looked up at her. She was crying and looked as scared as her daughter. TK gave her a small smile. “Hey, Emma? I think there is someone here who really wants to know you’re ok. Can you show them?” He felt her head shake no against his chest. “I think you will be happy to see them. I promise.” He nudged her softly. He all but sagged in relief as her arms unwound from his ribcage and her head turned.

“Mama?”

Maya sobbed in relief. “Hey baby.” Emma finally let go and reached for her mother. Maya pulled her away from TK ad hugged her to her chest. TK would have dropped to his knees if his dad hadn’t been holding onto him so tightly.

“How about you let Michelle give you a look over?” Owen gently prodded. He squeezed TK’s arm. “No offense, kid, but you look like you are ready to collapse on me.”

“I’m fi—“

“Yeah, no.” Owen interjected. “I don’t think you are fine.”

TK sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Owen continued. He motioned toward Emma and Maya. Tim had come over and pulled them over to one of the ambulances to check them out. “I think you probably saved that little girl.” Owen moved one hand to the back of TK’s neck and squeezed affectionately. “You did a good job, son. You took care of her. Let Michelle and I take care of you now.”

TK wanted to protest, but knew there wasn’t much use to it. He just nodded and allowed Michell and his dad to guide him to the back of one of the other ambulances. He stumbled a few times over his feet, obviously tired and wearing thin. Neither called him out on it. They kept him as steady as possible and moved as slowly as they could toward the awaiting bus.

“Let’s get you sitting,” Owen guided. He helped him up onto the gurney for Michelle and began methodically taking off TK’s jacket. He shivered as the extra layers were removed. “I’m sorry, son. We’ll get you warm soon.” He rubbed up and down TK’s arms, trying to provide some added heat to the cold limbs.

“I’m okay,” TK sighed.

“Let me be the judge of that, tough guy,” Michelle chastised. She grabbed a shock blanket and handed it off to Owen. Despite TK’s grumblings, it was wrapped around his shoulders within seconds. “So…we can do this the easy way and you can tell me where you are hurt. Or, I can do full work up and drive you crazy.” She gave him a stern look.

He huffed. Owen nudged him in the shoulder and gave him a look mimicking Michelle’s. “Fine,” TK relented. “I know I have a cut under my helmet. I felt the blood earlier. Emma noticed it too.” Owen started to ease the helmet off as soon as TK stopped to take a breath. “Um…ribs don’t feel great. Back of my shoulder and some of my back hurts. Think bruised? I don’t know.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Right wrist…uh, fractured? I think.”

Michelle nodded and started to inspect his head first. “Do you know if you lost consciousness?”

“I don’t think so. Things got fuzzy for a minute. And dark. But think that was the mud. I don’t think I passed out. Think things just got dark in the car for a few minutes and I was more zoned out than knocked out?”

“Is that a question or a statement?” Michelle asked, concern ebbing into her questions.

“Think a statement,” he sighed.

Michelle shook her head. “You need the ER one way or the other. Scans and x-rays. Probably a cast.” She gently prodded his wrist.

“Ahh!” TK gasped.

“Definitely a cast,” Michelle added.

“Shit, do I have to?”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Owen huffed.

“But Dad—“

“No buts, TK.”

“I was supposed to be at Carlos’s for his birthday dinner at seven and—“

“TK, it’s already after seven,” Michelle sighed. “And pretty sure he would want you to go get checked out and sorted out before you go.”

TK let his head fall back against the side of the ambulance. “But his parents—“

“Can wait another hour or two,” Owen pushed. “Let’s let Michelle take you in. I’ll meet you there with my car once we finish up here. If, and only if, your doctors agree, I’ll bring you back to the station to shower and change. I’ll drop you at Carlos’s once you are ready. If the doctors agree to let you out. If they want you to spend the night, you spend the night.” He ran a hand up TK’s back. “No arguments. Your health is more important. You and I both know Carlos would say the same thing if he was here. Parents or no parents.”

“Listen to your old man,” Michelle prodded as she checked his pupils. “Let’s get you hooked up to an IV for now with some warm saline and transport you. I don’t like the look of your wrist and you may have a mild concussion.”

Owen kissed the side of his head and moved away. “I’ll be right behind her and join you.”

“It’s fine,” TK gave in. “Do what you need, Dad. I’m fine.”

“Humor me,” Owen huffed. “I want to be there. I know you don’t feel good.”

TK just nodded and shrunk into himself some.

“It’s okay.” Owen stepped forward and pulled his chin up so that their eyes met. “You did a great job tonight. You saved that girl. That I am sure of. You kept her safe and you got the two of you out of a shitty situation. But you got banged up in the process. Let us take care of you and then we’ll deal with the rest from there.”

TK looked away, feeling more emotions than he anticipated with everything. “Okay.”

“That’s my boy.” Owen gave him another kiss to the forehead. He pulled away and turned toward Michelle. “Take care of him for me?”

“Always,” she reassured. She inserted an IV into the back of TK’s good hand. “I’ll make sure he gets checked out. Tim can take in the family if they need it.”

“Were they okay?” TK asked as Owen left and shut the ambulance doors. He could hear others join up front and start up the vehicle.

“They were. Little bruised and banged up, but good. Tim radioed a minute ago that the girl, Emma, was good. Just a few bruises.” She pushed TK to lay down on the gurney so she could check over his ribs and breathing.

“My fault,” he sighed.

“What do you mean?”

“I grabbed onto her too tight. When the car rolled.”

“I don’t think that is on you, TK.” Michelle grabbed an Icepack and placed it onto his wrist. He hissed at the contact. “I’m sorry. I know this has to hurt.” She was gentle in her actions as she continued to asses and triage his injuries. He started to lose track as the vehicle started toward the hospital. He was just so tired…

Blinding white lights brought him back to the moment. There were hands on him, tugging him toward another bed. Another gurney. He shook himself awake, making out fragments of a conversation around him. He brought a hand up and rubbed at his eyes.

“Mr. Strand? Are you with us?”

TK opened his eyes and was met with a team of nurses and doctors. Michelle was still there. She squeezed his shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m here. I’m okay.”

“Let’s see about that,” the doctor replied. “Captain Blake here says you probably have some fractures to your wrist and ribs. Bruising to your back. And possible concussion.”

“Is that all?” TK groaned.

“I think that is enough, kid,” Michelle sighed. “Let them take care of you or else your dad will have both of our asses.”

TK groaned again, earning a laugh from the doctor and Michelle both.

“I’m going to head out and let your dad know to come for you,” Michelle said. “Do you want me to call Carlos?”

“No,” TK quickly replied. “I don’t want to interrupt his dinner with his parents.”

“But—“

“I’ll figure it out once I get out.”

“Okay.” She held up her hands in surrender. “Whatever you say. Just listen to the doctors. Please.”

TK nodded and allowed the team to start working on him. He spent the next hour being poked, prodded, scanned, and bandaged. It wasn’t pleasant, but he knew the sooner it was finished the sooner he could apologize to Carlos. To his parents.

He just hoped they would listen.

He checked his watch as he was wheeled back into another exam room to wait. It was nearly nine o’clock. He was two hours late.

_Fuck_.

“How are you holding up?”

TK looked up to see his dad standing on the side of the curtains.

“Hey. When did you get here?”

“Not long ago. They told me you were getting some x-rays done.”

“Yeah.” TK rubbed at his eyes once again. He was so tired. “Pretty sure my wrist is fractured.”

“Anything else?”

He leaned back against the pillows behind him. “Ribs are likely bruised. Maybe fractured. Nothing hit my lungs at least.”

“Thank god for that,” Owen replied. He pulled up a nearby stool and sat down beside TK. “Your lungs have been through enough.”

TK nodded in agreement. “Mild concussion. Few stitches to a cut where my helmet dug in. Superficial cuts to my face. Nothing major. Just will have headache and maybe some dizziness for next couple days.”

“And definitely no work for at least a week.”

“I know,” TK huffed. “But nothing major. Just waiting to see if wrist needs a cast and then I should be okay to go.”

“What about your back?” TK gave him a look. “Don’t pretend that your back isn’t killing you right now. I saw how you held yourself earlier.”

TK shrugged. “Just lots of bruising. My wire pulled me against the door when it rolled. Before it snapped. So just lots of bruising.”

Owen nodded. “Okay. We can deal with that. We can deal with whatever.”

“I’m okay, Dad.”

“You don’t sound like it, kid. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

TK closed his eyes and dropped his head toward his chest. “Carlos is going to be so upset.”

“Yeah,” Owen agreed. “Because you are hurt. Not because you missed his dinner.”

“But—“

“No buts. I repeat, Carlos will be more upset and worried that you are hurt than he will be about you missing his dinner with the parents.”

TK shifted anxiously. “What if he is? What if he is mad.”

“Not going to happen.” Owen leaned forward and squeeze this son’s knee. “You know Carlos better than that. So what’s this about?”

TK finally looked up. “What if his parents are mad? I don’t do well with parents.”

“Son, you know that isn’t true.”

“But Alex—“

“Was an asshole who had his own reasons for not inviting you to meet his parents.”

“Dad…”

“Hear me out, TK.” Owen patted his knee. “Alex had his own reasons for what he did. I think you know that more than you want to admit. And that’s okay. But Carlos…he’s not Alex. Not by a long shot. He asked you to meet his folks, because he wants to show you off. Because he cares about you. And because of that, I know for a fact he will be more worried about you showing up on his doorstep hurt than he will about you missing the family dinner.”

“How do you know that?” TK hated how his voice broke as he spoke. He hated how worried he was. He just hated this.

“Because, I know your boyfriend. And he is a good man. Better than most.” Owen stood up and joined TK on his bed. “Trust me on this.” He wrapped an arm around TK and pulled him into his side. “And if I’m wrong…well we’ll figure out a way to deal. I’m sure Marjan can pull some strings and—“

“Dad,” he sighed, laughing a little. “Let’s not sic Marjan on my boyfriend. Not yet at least.”

Owen smiled at his son. “We’ll deal with it. Whatever it ends up being. But for now, let’s just get you taken care of. And maybe give yourself time for a shower.”

TK made a face. “Am I that bad?”

“You have a lot of mud on you still…”

TK just rolled his eyes. Things weren’t great, but it was great to have his dad there. It was helping. It was making him feel like he could face whatever was to come.

As scary as that sounded…

xxxxxx

Carlos picked at his dinner. They had waited nearly an hour before his dad finally pushed them to eat without TK. He couldn’t fight it. The food would be cold if they waited. And TK still hadn’t responded. Carlos was worried.

This wasn’t like TK.

He didn’t know what to do.

“Mijo?”

Carlos looked up at his mom. “Yeah?”

“Can I get you anything else?”

“No, this is great, Mami. I’m sorry. I’m just—“

Before he could finish, the doorbell rang. He nearly knocked his chair over in his haste to get up. To get to the door to see who it was. To see if it was who he hoped it was.

He pulled the door open and was suddenly greeted by tiny arms wrapping around his legs. He looked down to see dark, curly hair in complete disarray. The arms hugged him tighter.

“Hey, hermano.”

He looked up and was greeted by a familiar face. Sadly, not the face he had hoped.

“Hey.” He took in the faces. The cuts and bruises on the faces to be more specific. “Oh my god…what…are you okay? Wait…” He pulled the little girl up from his legs and into his arms. He studied her face. The bruises there too. “Oh my god.”

“We’re okay,” a voice called from the doorway.

Carlos half ignored it, too focused on the one in his arms. “Hey baby.”

“Uncle Carlos.” Teary eyes greeted his.

“Hey baby. What—“ Before Carlos could say anything else, tiny arms were wrapping around his neck and tears were dripping down his neck. “Hey. It’s okay.”

“It’s been a night.”

He looked up at the couple in the doorway. “Come in. What…what happened? What are you doing here? I thought…”

  
“We wanted to surprise you.”

“But the weather…”

“We had a car wreck.”

Carlos tightened his arms around the little girl. “Oh god.”

“We’re okay.”

“Really.”

Carlos ignored the assurance, not fully believing them. “Hey, hey baby girl. Hey chica.” He pulled the little girl away from his neck so he could get a better look at her. “Qué pasa? Are you okay?”

The little girl sniffled and nodded. She laid her head on Carlos’s chest and nodded hesitantly. “A prince saved me.”

“Did he now?” Carlos felt tears well up in his eyes but managed to keep them at bay. “Let’s go inside. You can tell me all about it, Emma.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the love, comments, and kudos on this story. It has really brightened a pretty crappy week. I hope the final chapter doesn't disappoint! I apologize for any typos...been a bit of a week and I wanted to get this out before the Tarlos week started Monday (which I am hoping to do). Thank you again!

He sighed deeply and stared down at his arm. It was encased in a black cast, the fingers bruised from the day’s events. He honestly felt like one giant bruise at this point. He felt, well awful. Not just physically. He was anxious. He worried about how things were going to go.

How the already dreaded ‘meet the parents’ would play out when he was over three hours late…

“Ready?” Owen said, drawing TK out of his thoughts. “I’ve got your care instructions and I picked up your prescriptions from the pharmacy downstairs.”

TK nodded. “Thanks, Dad.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I appreciate it.”

“Always, kiddo.” Owen squeezed the back of his neck, mindful of the bruises throughout his body. He eyed TK’s wrist and shoulder warily. “Sling? I thought the doctors said you needed to wear one for a few weeks? Given the bruising and the fracture?"

TK sighed and picked up the offending object from beside him. “Right here.”

“And it isn’t on because…”

“Nurses had to step away to take care of another emergency.”

“Okay…”

“And I can’t get it on by myself like I thought I could,” he huffed.

Owen smiled as his son all but pouted. “Let me.”

“It’s fine. Really. I mean, I’m going to have to shower before I go to Carlos’s anyway. I might as well wait.”

“Tk…are you sure you want to go to Carlo’s tonight? You look ready to pass out as is.”

He shrugged and let Owen take the sling from him. He winced as the straps went around his sore body. “I don’t want to let him down. Figured I would go and at least explain myself.”

“You can always call and—“

“No. That’s not fair to him.”

“Tk…”

“My phone’s cracked. But he texted me a bunch earlier. I’m sure he’s either angry or worried.”

“I’m sure he’s worried,” Owen corrected, giving him a stern look.

“Fine.” TK met his dad’s eyes. “Regardless, he deserves to see and hear from me in person. Not through your phone, which will probably freak him out more.”

“And showing up at eleven at night with a cast on your arm, a sling…looking well, ready to pass out, kid, how will that look?”

“I’m not going to pass out. I—“

“Son, you look exhausted and like you are hurting. A lot. You are wincing when you move and squinting.”

“It’s just the lights. They said I, at most, have a very mild concussion.”

“But that’s still a concussion.” Owen folded his arms over his chest.

“Dad, please,” TK continued. “I just really need to go see Carlos and deal with this tonight. I don’t see things getting better unless I do.”

“TK?” Owen gave him a worried look.

TK sighed deeply. “I’m worried he’s mad. Me calling won’t exactly help with things. Because I know I’ll just assume he is angry if I can’t see him. And avoiding will just make things worse. I know that. So I’d rather just go and see him and deal with it, even if I feel like shit, because I’ll feel worse if I wait or call.” He spoke in a rushed tone, trying to get it all out before he choked.

Owen just nodded. He walked closer and gave TK’s good shoulder a squeeze. “Okay. We can do it your way…but with a few rules.”

“Yes…” TK raised an eyebrow.

“Let’s get you to the station. I’ll help you shower.” TK pulled a face at that. “Oh stop. It isn’t like I haven’t seen you naked. Even as an adult.” TK rolled his eyes. “We’ll get you cleaned up and dressed as fast as possible. But if you start to feel worse, we slow it down and I reserve the right to call Carlos if things get too bad. Otherwise, I’ll drive you to his house once you are clean and in fresh clothes. You will stay with Carlos. I’m assuming you want to spend the night anyway so—“

“If he wants me to.”

  
“He will,” Owen sighed. “You stay with him and let him help you. If you start to feel worse, you let him take you back here. Or call the doctor, at the very least. You let me know if you need anything or if you feel worse.”

“Okay,” TK agreed. “Thank you.”

Owen just nodded. “Okay, let’s go then.” He helped TK off the bed. He grabbed the sling with a shake of his head. “You really are out to give me more grey.”

TK laughed at that. “Hey, better than making you lose it.”

“Bite your tongue,” Owen replied, looking aghast at the comment. It earned another small laugh from TK. “Come on kid. Let me help you.”

TK nodded and gave his dad a small smile. It quickly vanished once his feet hit the ground, and all the aches and pains of the day made themselves known with a vengeance.

“I’ve got you,” Owen said soothingly. He held onto TK and steadied him as he swayed on his feet. “Take your time, son. We aren’t in a hurry.”

TK just nodded, despite wanting to hurry. He knew it wouldn’t do him any good. Not right now. As much as he wanted to rush to get to Carlos’s, rushing himself and face planting was not going to get him there. He took a shaky breath and straightened himself a little better. “I’m okay.”

Owen gave him a skeptical look but didn’t question him. Instead, he helped him out of the ER and out of the hospital. They moved slowly, but eventually made it to the car. TK sagged into the seat as soon as his dad opened the door. He knew he was probably getting mud all over the car, but he couldn’t bring himself to fix it. Owen didn’t say anything. He just helped him into the car and make him as comfortable as possible. He close the door and came around to the driver’s side.

“How are you doing, kiddo?”

“I’m fine.” TK let his head fall against the window and closed his eyes.

“Sure you are,” Owen mumbled.

TK wanted to glare at his dad, but he didn’t have the energy. He was just so tired. He kept his eyes closed. He felt the car turn over and start to move, but he didn’t register much else of the ride. No. He let himself sink into the cushions of his seat and drift off. He wasn’t fully asleep, but he definitely didn’t catch much on the drive. Not really. Not until they pulled in front of the station and Owen gently shook him awake.

“Just me kiddo,” Owen soothed. “Ready to shower?”

TK groaned at the idea, but knew he needed to get it over with. He undid his seatbelt and let Owen help him back to his feet. They slowly made their way inside. He noticed a few others milling around, but none of his crew. Just the backups and relief squad. “Everyone go home?” He rubbed at his eyes tiredly.

“Yeah, shift ended. No one should be back for next forty-eight hours.”

“Even you?”

Owen sighed. “Nah, I’m going to come back after I take you to Carlos’s to finish up paperwork.” He guided TK toward the showers.

“You need rest,” TK argued.

“I think this is where I call the pot out for meeting the kettle.”

“I don’t think that is how the saying goes,” TK added. He let Owen help him take off his clothes and guide him into the shower stalls.

“Do you really want to argue semantics right now?” He grabbed the plastic sleeve for his cast and fixed it over his arm.

TK just shrugged, too focused on staying upright and getting cleaned to really talk. Owen seemed to pick up on it, and didn’t push him to talk. He instead just helped steady him and handing him shampoos and soaps. TK would have been more mortified…if he wasn’t so tired.

“Hanging in there, son?”

“Hmm, yeah.” TK pushed himself up straighter and turned off the water. “I’m fine.”

“Whatever you say.” Owen ran his hand over TK’s wet hair. “Ready to dry off?” TK nodded. “Let me help you here.” Owen steadied him as he stepped out of the stall. TK tiredly stumbled over his feet and winced as it jarred his ribs and sore body. Owen kept a firm, but cautious, grip on his arm. “I’ve got you.”

TK just nodded once more and let himself have a moment. He breathed out through his nose and stepped into the towel he father held out. Once Owen was sure TK was stable on his feet, he walked down to the lockers and got TK’s bag for him. He dug around and found comfortable clothes.

“Dad, I—“

“Nope. I don’t think you need to bother with your date worthy clothes. Not at this point. And not when you are still swaying on your feet and clutching your ribs every few minutes…”

TK sighed again and nodded. He wasn’t happy about it, but he took the pair of joggers and t-shirt his hand offered. Owen helped him dress, earning a deep blush on TK’s cheeks as he did so. Owen, to his credit, refrained from teasing or cracking jokes. He just let TK be and helped him get ready as fast as possible. Once TK was dressed, he grabbed the sling and shook it slightly.

“Ready for this?”

  
“No,” TK groaned, “but I probably don’t have a choice.”

“Nope…no choice. Doctor said your shoulder is badly bruised and needs stabilized to prevent worsening. And your wrist is fractured. So…”

“Fine.” TK allowed Owen to help him despite the protests. He wouldn’t admit it, but as annoying as the sling was, it did feel better. “Thank you.”

Owen pulled him in for a gently hug and kissed the side of his head. “I have your bag here. Anything else you need?”

TK winced as he knelt down to pick up his duffle. “Nah, I should be good with this. Carlos’s gift is in it.”

“Ooh,” Owen teased. “What did you get him?”

TK shrugged his good shoulder and started walking back toward the car. Well, shuffled more than walked. He was so tired. “Nothing major. I found a first edition of one of his favorite books at that shop Zoe recommended by campus.”

“I’m sure he will like that.” Owen nudged him toward the car. “His birthday is tomorrow right?”

“Yeah. Um, his parents were doing tonight because he wanted to just have tomorrow be the two of us. We had things planned but…” TK gestured to his shoulder and gauze on the side of his head.

“He will be happy you aren’t hurt worse. That’s all he is going to care about.”

TK shook his head but didn’t voice his thoughts. He couldn’t help but feel like he was messing up things. That he was messing up Carlos’s birthday.

“I mean it, kid.” Owen reached over as he drove, squeezing TK’s knee. “You’ll see.”

The drive to Carlos’s place went fast. TK was both relieved and terrified as they pulled up. There was a car TK didn’t recognize in front of them. He sighed…Carlos’s parents must have stayed. He managed to undo his seatbelt with his left hand and get it off around his bad shoulder. Owen watched him from the driver’s seat, letting him do what he needed at his pace. “Do you want help up to the door?”

“Not really,” TK replied with a sad smile. “I think I can manage. And would rather just deal with it alone.”

Owen ran a hand over the back of TK’s head. “Call if you need anything. If you start to feel worse or anything at all.”

TK leaned over and gave him a hug. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Love you kid. Be careful and let me know how it all goes.”

TK slowly got out of the car. It hurt more than he wanted to admit to do so. His whole right side ached from hitting the car door earlier. He took a shaky breath and started to walk up to the house. He could see lights on inside despite the late hour. He shuffled up the sidewalk and onto the porch. Before he could second guess himself, he knocked, praying Carlos would be the one to answer at least.

His luck finally seemed to go his way when his boyfriend as in fact the one who answered. He clicked on the porch light, which hurt TK’s head more than he expected. He managed to play it off as nothing. At least he hoped so.

“TK?”

“Um, hi.” He gave a shy smile and shifted on his feet. He winced as the movement jarred his bruised ribs. Carlos zoned in on his sling and bruises. His eyes raked over TK’s upper body before giving him a sad look.

“What happened?”

“I’m so sorry. I know I should have been here like four hours ago and I am so sorry I’m so late. Your parents probably hate—“

“Easy. Slow down a second.” Carlos’s hands were on him, gentle but solid. He rubbed up and down TK’s good arm. TK knew he was shaking at this point. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just so sorry I missed—“

“TK, I’m not worried about that. God. Come in. You look like you could pass out. You’re shivering.” Carlos ushered him inside the house. He took his duffle bag from him and set it down by the door. “What happened?”

TK rubbed at the back of his neck and leaned against the nearby wall. “Bad shift.”

“I can see that.” Carlos looked worried. “What happened?” He stepped into TK’s space once again. He cupped the side of TK’s face where bruises were definitely blossoming in full now. “This looks painful.”

TK laughed wetly at that. Carlos wasn’t angry. At least he didn’t seem it yet. “Got called out for an accident. Car had hydroplaned I guess with all the rain. Slid off road and down the hillside. Um, went to get the kid out of the back and the car ended up rolling with us in it.”

Carlos’s eyes widened at that and gave him an unreadable look.

It made TK’s anxiety return. He was afraid the look meant he was angry. “It was just this stupid accident and—mmph!” TK gasped in surprise as Carlos kissed him suddenly and deeply. TK leaned into the kiss after a moment.

Carlos pulled away, but kept his hands on TK. He just kept giving him this look. It was affectionate but held more to it.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?” TK finally asked, his nerves getting the better of him. He couldn’t relax. Despite Carlos’s actions. He was still worried.

“Let’s get you to the couch. I think I have something to show you that will help make sense of things.” He took TK’s hand and pulled him into the house. He could hear noises coming from the kitchen off to the side. He wanted to look over but his anxiety didn’t let him. Not yet. He instead let Carlos guide him to the couch and push him to sit. Carlos gave him another kiss on the side of the head. “Stay here a second.”

Carlos walked away toward the kitchen. Despite the close proximity, TK couldn’t quite make out the words. He heard loud gasps but not clear words. It really didn’t help his worries. He felt his leg start to bounce and he started to chew on his bottom lip.

“TK!”

He looked up at the sound of his name. It took him a second to recognize the voice but once he did, he couldn’t help but be shocked.

Carlos walked in with a little girl in his arms. She was squirming and trying to get down. He laughed and complied. The girl ran forward toward the couch and all but launched herself into his left side.

“Careful, mi amor.” Carlos hurried over to the couch and tried to pull her off TK a little, but there wasn’t much he could do. “Emma, baby—“

“Emma?” TK gasped. Everything finally started to hit and make sense. He shook his head fondly.

“Yeah,” Carlos joined them on the couch. “TK, meet my niece, Emma. Well, I guess you met earlier, huh.”

“He saved me.” Emma was still glued to TK’s side but looked up at her uncle.

“I don’t know about that,” TK replied bashfully. “So this is your uncle, huh?”

“Oh my god,” a voice called from the hall. TK looked up to see the woman and man from earlier, along with an older couple behind them.

“Is everything okay?” the older man asked.

“What’s going on?”

Everyone’s eyes were on TK and he didn’t know what to say. Thankfully Carlos’s saved him. “Um, everyone, this is my boyfriend, TK. And apparently Emma’s prince charming from earlier.” Carlos wrapped an arm around TK and Emma as he spoke. “Seems there was a pretty good reason he was so late.”

“You’re hurt,” Emma’s mom…Maya…TK’s tired mind finally supplied, said. She came closer. He could see a few bruises on her and her husband, Dave, as they approached. The others must have been Carlos’s parents.

“Emma said you protected her,” Dave added, his eyes scanning TK’s injuries.

TK didn’t know how to respond. Emma, however, didn’t seem to be at a loss for words now that she was back with her family. “He held me tight when the car moved. He rescued me.”

TK blushed at her remarks. Carlos squeezed the back of his neck again and just looked at him with so much affection.

“Dios mio,” his father gasped.

“Thank you, mijo,” his mother sighed. She walked over toward the couch and sat down on the other side of TK. She pulled him into a gentle hug. “It is a pleasure to meet you, sweetie. I’m Elena. This is Diego. It seems you have met my daughter and her family.”

TK looked around at everyone anxiously. “Um, yeah, I think so.” Emma leaned into his side again. He smiled down at her and ran a hand over her curls.

“We can’t thank you enough,” Maya added. “If we had known…”

TK shrugged. “I didn’t either. Apparently Michelle didn’t either. Or I think she would have teased me.” He gave Carlos a questioning look.

“Maya’s about ten years older than me. She was already out of town by the time I was friends with Iris and Michelle,” Carlos explained. “Though I’ll have to give her hell for not recognizing her from pictures.”

TK shook his head. He felt overwhelmed by all the attention and looks he was being given. Carlos’s mom and sister looked at him like he had saved the day. His father looked confused but grateful. His brother-in-law looked ready to hug him. And Carlos…Carlos looked at him with love. They hadn’t shared those words with each other but…

“Are you okay?” Emma finally asked, drawing him out of his head. “You’re hurt.” She carefully poked at the gauze on his head. “You were bleeding earlier.”

TK smiled at her. “Yeah. Just a little banged up. Doctors took care of me earlier.”

“You went to the hospital?” Carlos interjected. He sat forward and gave TK a worried once over.

“Yeah…I’m okay.”

No one looked convinced. Instead, the looks he was getting seemed to double, as did his own unease at all the attention. Carlos must have realized what was happening in TK’s head. He pulled Emma away from TK’s side and gave her a big hug. “How about we let your mama put your to bed in my spare room, chica?”

“But I want to stay with TK,” she pouted.

“I bet TK will let you see him tomorrow. But for now, you need sleep.” Carlos looked up with concern at his boyfriend. “And I think he may too.”

TK gave him a grateful smile and nodded. “Yeah…that sounds great.”

Elena squeezed his knee. “Let me take, Emma. You boys head to your room, mijo. Your father and I will show ourselves out for the night. But,” she fixed TK with a look, “I would love to fix a meal for you both tomorrow. Whatever you want. As a thank you. And for Carlos’s birthday.” She moved her hand to his cheek and patted it lightly. “We can maybe get to know you then. But for now, it looks like you could use some sleep.” She leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss to the side of his head. “Thank you again.”

TK still didn’t know what to say. So he just gave him a smile and nodded. He knew he was nodding too much…but he wasn’t sure what else to do at this point. Elena took Emma off the couch and ushered the boys off toward Carlos’s room. He helped support TK as they walked. TK was drained…

“Hey.” Carlos shut the door behind him and pulled TK close. “How are you? Really?” His hands ghosted over the sling. “Emma and Maya gave me some details of what happened. It sounded bad.”

TK sat on the edge of the bed while Carlos dug in his dresser for his own pajamas. “It could have been worse.”

Carlos turned around with his eyebrow raised. “Maya said the car rolled down the hill. And flipped.”

“Yeah…I guess it did.” TK grimaced. “Fine.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I was hooked to the wench and had repelled down to the car. Dad wanted me in the back to help with Emma.”

“You’re good with kids.”

“What he said too,” TK laughed. “I was in the back with her. Once we got your sister and her husband out, the weight just shifted too much. The car went over the ledge. The door I had opened slammed on me and my wire got stuck. It pulled me back against it before it snapped. So my right side is kind of…one giant bruise.”

Carlos softened. “How bad is it?”

TK sighed. “Wrist is really the worst of it. It’s fractured. Shoulder isn’t, just bruised to hell. Doctor wants me to use the sling for a week or two to help with that. Bruising is apparently pretty deep…so should look spectacular tomorrow.” He took a deep breath, wincing a little as he did so. “Owe…and ribs. Those are bruised pretty bad. May have some cracks. Back is bruised some. Rest is mainly cuts. Few stitches my forehead. Think the glass from the door got me.”

“Head injury?”

TK shrugged. “They said it may be a mild concussion but they weren’t sure. I don’t remember losing consciousness. But…”

“Shit.” Carlos joined him on the bed. “That’s a lot.”

  
“I’ve had worse.”

“That’s really not the best rebuttal, babe.”

TK groaned. “I”m sorry.”

Carlos shifted so he was facing his boyfriend. “For?”

“I ruined your birthday. I know you wanted this big dinner with your family and for me to meet them and then for us to just have tomorrow to relax and do whatever you wanted and instead—“

“Instead you saved my niece’s life. Risked your own in the process. And got pretty hurt along the way.” Carlos ran his fingers through TK’s messy hair. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You did something pretty amazing actually.” He let his hand trail down and cup TK’s jaw. “I think that’s a pretty epic birthday present.” He pulled TK’s chin up and gave him a deep kiss.

TK smiled into it. “That’s pretty cheesy.”

“It’s also pretty accurate.” Carlos returned his smile. “Just…thank you. You are…you’re incredible. I don’t know how to thank you for this.”

TK leaned into his side. “I was just doing my job.”

“I know. But tonight…that just has a little different meaning. My family won’t forget that. Ever.”

TK bit his lip. “So I didn’t fuck it up with your parents?”

“Oh, definitely not.” Carlos nudged TK to move so that they could get under the cover. “In fact…pretty sure Mami is going to pamper you more than me tomorrow.”

“I’m so—“

“Stop apologizing.” Carlos pulled down the covers and nudged TK to get under them. He changed out of his jeans and threw on a thin tee. He helped TK out of his sling and grabbed some extra pillows for his wrist. “Do you need any ice?”

“I’m okay.”

“Seriously, TK? How bad do you feel?”

“Fine,” he huffed. “I’m sore. But they gave me some meds at the hospital. I’ll be okay til the morning. I have extra strength Tylenol in my duffle bag.”

“I’ll grab it in the morning for you.”

“Thank you.” He pulled Carlos down next to him. He noticed the bedside table’s clock showed that it was after midnight. “Hey, Happy Birthday.”

Carlos looked to see the time before turning back to TK. “Thank you.” He gave TK another long kiss. “Can’t picture a better one.”

“Hmmm…not sure this is what you had in mind for it.”

“Maybe.” Carlos pulled the covers over them and shifted so he was laying facing TK. “But I’m pretty happy to have you here. And very grateful for what you did.” He wrapped an arm carefully around TK’s waist and pulled him closer. “Thank you.”

TK nuzzled into Carlos’s chest and closed his eyes. “Hmm…I hope you remember that tomorrow when your niece wants to power marathon _Frozen_ with you.”

Carlos laughed. “I heard someone promised her her uncle would want to do that with her.”

“I don’t know who that could be…”

“Mmm hmm. Think you have won the title of favorite uncle for right now. Someone was going around earlier saying she was saved by a prince charming. Think you are stuck watching too.”

TK should have bristled at being called the girl’s uncle. He wasn’t. But for some reason…it didn’t bother him. Not tonight. Not after all the other anxiety and all the fears.

Instead….

It felt right. He felt right.

He let himself lean more into Carlos’s chest. He felt his boyfriend pull him closer and shift him so that he couldn’t hurt his shoulder more.

The night hadn’t gone as he had planned. But it had gone better than he ever could have hoped somehow.

Maybe he could deal with parents better than he thought.

Or maybe it was just Carlos. Maybe, just maybe, he could deal with everything better with Carlos. He would have to deal with that thought more. When he wasn’t so tired. But for now, he let himself relax into his boyfriend and let the anxieties go. For now.

“Happy Birthday.”

_I love you._


End file.
